


Leviathan

by ThuktunFlishithy



Category: Godzilla - All Media Types, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ultraman - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, There's more crossing over but I don't want to spoil, lots of mythology gags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-17 09:56:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10591629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThuktunFlishithy/pseuds/ThuktunFlishithy
Summary: The Age of Monsters ended in Second Impact, or so everyone says. When Mankind finds itself besieged by the otherworldly Angels, Shinji Ikari will accept a destiny thrust upon him and rise to protect the Earth. He will not be alone, as old guardians -and their enemies- of a bygone age return.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's note: Normally, I put these at the bottom, but it might be a better idea to put them at the top. This here is a remake of a crappy fic I wrote nearly three years ago. This story is quite different, in a number of aspects, such as length and the nature of the plot. (Hopefully, quality is one of those more positive aspects). I've been writing this story off and on again for the past two years, so the first chapters are not up to the quality of the later ones, which is why I've been editing them extensively. Please offer constructive criticism.**  
  


**Leviathan  
לִוְיָתָן**  


_Kaiju.  
  
That word has become a part of everyday life ever since that fateful day in 1954, when we were humbled by the wrath of a monstrosity created by our own destructive arrogance. Though it was slain by the sacrifice of one of our century's greatest minds, it proved to be far from the last to reveal itself to the world. Some kaiju, primarily the ones that evolved naturally in highly specialized ecosystems, are little more than animals that act on pure instinct, and thus can be deterred or even detained with the right resources. Others, however, are genuinely malicious, and will not be so easily stopped. Only a handful of kaiju are natural creatures, and even less are terrestrial; most are either altered in some shape in form, whether by the influences of Man, or something that may as well be mystical. I find it to be a reminder of how small our world actually is, or what we call our infantile civilization.  
  
If there is one kaiju, however, that stands above all others, it must be the one that emerged from the waters off of Chichi-jima in 1954. He has gone by many names throughout our history. Jormungandr, Leviathan, Gojira. But the world at large knows him as Godzilla, King of the Monsters.  
  
His title is a well-deserved one. In the past forty-five years, he has bested no less than twenty-eight kaiju in battle, many of whom had rendered the might of our armies to ash. Though he has not engaged military forces in over thirty of those years, it is quite clear that to fight him is to embrace death itself. He is a monster amongst monsters, the thing that even boogeymen fear. Even to this day, many live in fear of him, terrified of his raw power. Or, rather, the power of the monster that had preceded him, whose wrath had left a quarter million corpses in Tokyo.  
  
And yet, despite his immense strength and ferocity, he had never deliberately turned it upon our fragile civilization or the idiosyncratic "family" of kaiju he is often observed with. Yes, he destroyed any humans that dared attack him, as we have seen with the destruction of the Red Bamboo all those years back, but the only time he was ever in a city was when another kaiju was ravaging it.  
  
In fact, one could argue he is almost a defender of sorts, a benevolent guardian of our world. We can all agree that his appearance was what resulted in the scaling back of nuclear weapons production, and if it weren't for him and the kaiju by his side, would we have defeated the invasions from beyond our atmosphere, or survived the arrival of King Ghidorah? Indeed, if the Infant Island Fragments discovered in the Kihl Expedition bear any merit, we may have never survived long enough as a species to debate this matter if it weren't for him.  
  
Some argue that his actions are merely those of an animal protecting his territory, but that does not seem to explain the full extent of what we have seen. And if what the late Miki Saegusa stated is accurate, he is far more intelligent than many realize.  
  
Of course, many feel that this topic is no longer relevant after the Second Impact. There has not been a single kaiju sighting in over five years, and it is the popular opinion that the lot of them were wiped out in the same cataclysm that halved our population and set us back a great many years. Alas, some even feel that the end of the Age of Monsters is one we should rejoice, now that we are free from monsters like Godzilla.  
  
As for me? I will never forget that fateful day in 1957 when I stood on a hill in the distance and watched him rise from the water to fight off the Mysterians invading my homeland; there was something in his fiery eyes that seemed to bore into my very soul. Something **old** , and yet inviolable against the unceasing tide of time. It is the memory of those unyielding eyes that press me to ask this question:  
  
If we managed to survive the Second Impact, why couldn't he?_  
  
Dr. Kyohei Yamane  
Monsters and Man: A History of Kaiju in the 20th Century (2004)

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _Outskirts of Tokyo-3_  
  
The weather was ill-fitting for the end of the world.  
  
The skies were exceptionally clear that day, showing nothing but an endless expanse of blue, tinged by the slightest shade of red. It made for a stark contrast with the blood-red seas that met with it at the horizon, seas that had no smell to them, save for the faint scent of blood. A warm sea-breeze rolled in with the tide and gently rustled the leaves of young trees sprouting from broken shores. The buzzing of cicadas dominated the cacophony of nature, adding to the tranquility of the land.  
  
It was a shame it had to end.  
  
A plume of pinkish sea spray rose from the sea, followed a few seconds later by the low rumble of an explosion as the first of the mines detonated. Several more detonations followed in short order, each one closer to the shore than the last. The explosions had not gone unnoticed; scores of artillery cannon and missile launchers turned on their axes, pointing towards the slight bulge in the water that steadily drew near. A battalion of tanks swiveled their turrets, occasionally accompanied by a self-propelled maser cannon. Patiently, the mighty weapons of war waited for their target to reveal itself.  
  
They didn't have to wait long.  
  
The bulge expanded, revealing an inhuman form silhouetted behind the crimson waters before exploding outwards in a spray of foam. A bizarre creature strode towards the shore, a mockery of the human shape. It moved in a manner not unlike an upright ape, lanky arms moving in concert with legs that supported an impossibly thin waist. It had no neck or head, instead possessing a bony plate eerily similar to a plague doctor's mask. Bone protruded from pitch-black flesh, armoring its joints and securing a bright red orb in its solar plexus.  
  
The tanks opened fire first, a staccato of cracks filling the air as armor-piercing rounds were shot at supersonic speeds. The rounds stopped short of the monster, however, coming into contact with orange lights flickering about the creature's body. It continued towards the shore unimpeded, its dead gaze focused on a distant point behind them. The artillery and missiles went next, unloading an impressive amount of firepower against the monster, obscuring its unnatural form in a massive cloud of smoke. A few seconds of tense silence passed, then the creature emerged from the smoke unharmed, having not even slowed its stride.  
  
That left the masers. Advanced relics of a bygone age hummed softly as immense energy built up in their emitters, shining brilliantly as violet arcs of light shot forth from their barrels and struck the monster dead-on. The orange light flickering around the creature coalesced into a visible field of concentric octagons, growing in intensity as the masers increased their power and focused their beams on a single point. Finally, one of the beams managed to pass through the barrier and burned into its hide, striking just above the red orb. Blood the same color of the sea trickled from the wound, almost indiscernible against its dark flesh.  
  
The creature finally acted, raising a gangly arm towards the nearest maser tank. A bony spur on its elbow glowed a bright violet, then sprang out of the monster's palm with alarming speed, impaling the tank and pinning it to the ground. The tank blossomed into a fiery explosion, and the monster withdrew its spur. It repeated the process with mechanical efficiency, only stopping when all of the maser tanks were molten lumps of metal. Seemingly satisfied with its work, it marched towards the shore again, paying no heed to the continued bombardment.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _NERV HQ_  
  
"Initial defense line breached," Makoto Hyuuga announced, his gaze fixated on the towering form of the Angel. "Target is advancing unimpeded."  
  
"Of course it is," General Tanaka muttered, rubbing his face wearily. "Tell the VTOLS to continue with the bombardment; we need to gauge this thing's defensive capabilities."  
  
"Contact the garrisons in Matushiro and Sendai," General Honda added, his face grim as he watched the viewscreen. "We need as many masers on the ground as we can manage if we want a snowball's chance in hell of hurting the bastard."  
  
"Sir, Matushiro says ETA for the maser tanks is forty-five minutes," Maya Ibuki replied. "Sendai will take longer due to infrastructure damage from last week's storm."  
  
"Have they attempted to draw its attention away with heavy fire?" General Tsuburaya inquired. "If we can't hurt it at the moment, we might be able to distract it long enough for reinforcements to arrive."  
  
"VTOL Squadron Victor-Sigma has already attempted that with the refurbished ICBMs," Shigeru Aoba replied. "The target is simply ignoring them, like it did with everything else."  
  
In the back of the command room, a man watched the chaos impassively, his hands tented before his face. Orange glasses hid his eyes, adding to the air of enigma surrounding him.  
  
"After fifteen years, the moment has finally arrived," he said calmly.  
  
"Indeed," an older man said, standing by his side. "The Third Angel has come to test the worthiness of Man."  
  
He fell silent for a few moments, watching the battle erupting on the viewscreen before continuing. "Do you think he'll arrive?"  
  
"The Scrolls make only cursory mentions of the Leviathan and the role he will play in what comes next, Fuyutsuki" the man replied. "It is possible that he may not wake for this fight."  
  
"Your little songbird hasn't said anything?" Fuyutsuki allowed himself a small chuckle. "I forget that you grew up in the calmer times. I remember what he was like, Rokobungi. The sheer power he held, and the iron will that pushed that power forward. Something tells me that we will see him soon enough; he always appears when the world needs him the most. What will you do then, when the old King awakens to protect his kingdom?"  
  
Gendo did not reply. He continued to watch the viewscreen, but there was no point in focusing on it, not yet.  
  
His cellphone rang, and he quickly answered the call. After all, there was only one reason why someone would be contacting him on his private number.  
  
"Commander speaking," he said, watching as the VTOLs dropped another thermobaric weapon.  
  
"He is awake," came the soft reply.  
  
The call ended, and Gendo put the phone back in his pocket, then resumed his pose. Hidden behind his gloved hands, a smirk appeared on his face.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _Somewhere in the depths of the Pacific_  
  
A titan stirred.  
  
Slowly, he cracked open an eye, then another. Shudders rolled across his massive body as life returned to his long-dormant limbs, and he rose to his feet groggily, shaking off a thousand tons' worth of sand and rubble. The beast did not know for how long he had slumbered, nor did he care. Time had lost its meaning to him.  
  
As he returned to wakefulness, memories came flooding back. A tower of light, where the ocean currents turned freezing, then a massive wave... after that, there was nothing.  
  
Eyes that burned like hot coals surveyed the lifeless seafloor, and a fiery rage boiled within his scaled breast as he purveyed the magnitude of the disaster. He could not sense the movement of fish, or hear the calls of whales, or smell all the familiar scents of the ocean.  
  
The beast roared, a howl of animalistic fury that seemed to shake the very earth he stood on, the sea itself trembling before his awesome power. The balance of nature he had sworn to protect aeons ago had been thrown into chaos and all but destroyed, the waters he called home left barren. An atrocity of such magnitude could not go unpunished; the very wrath of the world itself seemed to pour through the beast's veins, baying for blood.  
  
He would oblige. Already the beast detected a terrible presence, one that threatened to destroy what little of the world remained. With a growl he pushed off the ocean floor, leaving massive clouds of silt behind him as he darted through the waters with a speed that belied his gargantuan frame. He had already failed the world once, and he nearly payed the ultimate price for it. As long as the great flame sparked in his breast, he would not do so again.  
  
The King was on the hunt.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _Outskirts of Tokyo-3_  
  
" _Due to the state of emergency, all lines are currently unavailable..._ "  
  
Shinji Ikari sighed and wearily plopped the phone back on its receiver.  
  
"No good," he muttered softly to himself. "Can't get anything on the cell either..."  
  
For the umpteenth time that morning, he looked back down at the photograph he had received in the mail. It was, to say at the very least, very inappropriate to send to a fourteen-year old boy, and he wondered how someone like Misato Katsuragi could have become a major. Not that he minded terribly, but it was still rather concerning. What caught his eye the most, however, was the strange cross she wore about her neck. It was extraordinarily elaborate, and there was something vaguely familiar about it...  
  
He looked around, trying to see if there was a car coming to pick him up, but the streets were still silent, devoid of any human activity. Despite the summer heat, he felt a chill run up his spine.  
  
A glint in the corner of his eye drew his attention towards a silvery object on the ground. He looked about the empty street, then stooped down and picked it up, weighing it in his palm. It was strangely nondescript, possessing no markings whatsoever, save for a bright red button in the middle, and it was _warm_. He twirled it deftly about in his slender fingers, weighing it in his hand.  
  
"Odd," he said to himself. "Why is this so heavy?"  
  
He looked about again, as if expecting for the strange object's owner to suddenly appear, then warily slid it into his breast pocket. The warmth was a soothing one, and he began to feel more at ease.  
  
That was when the explosions reached his ears.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _Near the coast_  
  
"Captain, we're picking up a massive sonar signature," an ensign declared.  
  
The captain of the patrol boat _Nakajima_ put down his binoculars and looked away from the battle that was raging a few kilometers away. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Displacement's at least sixty kilotons," the ensign continued, voice a little shaky. "It's approaching our position."  
  
The captain looked over at the sonar screen, as if to confirm it himself. His eyes widened slightly as he realized that there _was_ a massive signature approaching their position. In that moment, he was also aware of a faint sound, like the beating of a massive drum. It was distorted by the sonar reading, but steadily growing louder.  
  
"Oh, god," the ensign said. "Big heartbeats..."  
  
The captain looked up from the screen, peering at where the signature was coming from. Sure enough, he could see a bulge in the water, rapidly approaching their position.  
  
"Brace!" he barked, grabbing a safety rail.  
  
Thankfully, the boat only rocked a little as the shape passed underneath. The captain turned around, watching the bulge approach the shoreline. Before his eyes, he saw a row of spines breaching the surface, kicking up a sea spray as they cut through the blood-red waters.  
  
His heart skipped a beat. _I've seen those before._  
  
"Alert the JSSDF immediately!" he shouted. "Tell them that Kaiju Alpha's alive and approaching!"

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _Outskirts of Tokyo-3_  
  
Shinji clamped his hands over his ears and crouched down, bracing against the wind that rattled nearby windows. Once the howling ceased, he spun about to face the source of the sound, and his stomach sank as he did so.  
  
Some bizarre _thing_ was emerging from a point beyond the hills, walking towards his position. VTOLs flew about it like a swarm of angry bees, pelting it with a flurry of missiles and bullets, but their efforts seemed to have no effect. Raising a gangly arm, it suddenly impaled one of the airships with a spear of violet light, sending it crashing nearby. The VTOL exploded, sending shrapnel and debris flying into the air. A small piece of concrete clipped Shinji in the temple, and he fell sprawling to the ground. Something warm trickled down his neck, and he became dimly aware of the fact that he was bleeding.  
  
Through the ringing in his ears, he managed to discern the sound of tires screeching to a halt, followed by hurried footsteps. A pair of hands took hold of his shoulders and began to slowly drag him away from the chaos erupting just a few streets over.  
  
"Come on," a feminine voice urged, strained with effort. A few strands of purplish hair entered his vision, and he dazedly realized that the speaker was Misato Katsuragi. "Come on!"  
  
Not that it mattered, he hazily thought; they were going to die anyway. Another VTOL was careening towards them, smoke billowing from a massive gash in its flank. Misato cursed and began to redouble her efforts to pull him along, but he knew that there was no way that they could both get out of the way in time. It was so dreamlike, so surreal, that he found himself far more at ease than he should have been. He simply closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitability of death.  
  
A few seconds passed, and he realized that it still hadn't come. His eyes creaked open slightly, then widened with shock.  
  
The VTOL was held aloft in the air by a pair of massive clawed hands. Tainted saltwater dripped from its scaly skin, drizzling onto him and Misato. Their unexpected rescuer deposited the VTOL on the street beside them with surprising care, then stepped between them and the bizarre creature. It was tall, standing heads and shoulders over the tallest buildings around, and clad in charcoal-grey scales that seemed to smolder like a dying fire. Three rows of bone-white spines the shape of maple leaves ran down its back, going from the base of its neck to the tip of its crocodilian tail. For the briefest of seconds, he managed to catch a glimpse of its eyes, burning like the heart of a furnace and contorted with an expression that crossed the barriers between man and beast.  
  
Rage.  
  
"Oh God," Misato whispered at Shinji's side, her eyes as wide as saucers. "He's back."  
  
Godzilla, King of the Monsters, had returned.  
  
The Kaiju King raised his head high, inhaling deep enough to ruffle Shinji's hair with a breeze, then roared. It was an old sound, a sound of fury and vengeance that was ancient when mankind first began to walk upright. The windows around them bulged outwards, then shattered into thousands of pieces before his rage. Misato winced, pressing her hands to her ears, and Shinji gritted his teeth in pain as the sound assailed his eardrums.  
  
It was finally too much. His vision was fading now, growing dimmer and dimmer with each passing second. The last thing he remembered seeing was Godzilla, massive craters in the pavement trailing behind him as he marched towards the bizarre monster in the distance.  
  
After that, there was only blackness.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _NERV HQ_  
  
Silence reigned in the command center. Gendo glanced down at the people down below, gauging their reactions with more than a little amusement. Some were gasping, murmuring curses or prayers amongst themselves, and others were silent, eyes wide.  
  
"We need to N2 mine the area!" Tsuburaya exclaimed, finally breaking the silence. "Have the VTOLs pull out!"  
  
He reached towards the red telephone on the desk, only for Honda to grab his arm with surprising strength.  
  
"We are not going to vaporize a city just because he's shown up," the older man warned in a low tone. He turned back towards the viewscreen and narrowed his eyes. "Focus all available firepower on the Angel."  
  
"Yes, sir," Hyuuga replied.  
  
"She was right, Fuyutsuki," Gendo commented at the back of the room. "The Leviathan rises from the dead seas to prove that there are beasts only gods can tame."  
  
"What shall we do, then?" Fuyutsuki inquired.  
  
"Create a god, of course."

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

_Outskirts of Tokyo-3_  
  
Godzilla snarled contemptuously as he glared at the creature before him. It stared back with lifeless eyes, hidden behind its bony mask. It was certainly one of the stranger-looking monsters he had encountered in his long life, but such things mattered little to him. Flexing his claws, he roared once more and charged, nearby buildings trembling with each ponderous footfall.  
  
The creature responded in kind. A heavenly light glowed from the ground beneath its feet as it took to the air in a massive leap, clearing the ground between them in seconds. It smashed into him, a field of concentric orange octagons forming at the point of impact. Godzilla skidded back a few meters, then lashed out with a clawed fist. There was a flash of light, followed by a tremendous cracking sound as he shattered the field with one blow. The creature staggered back, allowing him to catch it in its bony mask with another punch, sending it flying back until it hit a building in the distance. The building crumbled like a house of cards, burying it under thousands of tons of rubble in the process. Pressing his advantage, Godzilla charged forward again, refusing to let it recover.  
  
The rubble exploded outwards, revealing the creature. Its bony mask was cracked in two, and thick blood gushed from countless gashes torn into its skin. VTOLs continued to hover overhead, bombarding it with missiles and cannon fire, but it ignored them as it raised a gangly arm in Godzilla's direction. Before he could react, a spur of violet light blasted forth from its palm, spearing into his shoulder and using his own momentum against him as it pierced through his thick hide. The King of the Monsters roared furiously, then took hold of the spur in a clawed hand and twisted. The bony protrusion shattered, spraying the streets with even more blood and prompting a cry of pain from the creature.  
  
Godzilla growled as he pulled the spur out of his shoulder, letting the wound seal up before he turned his attention back to the reeling creature before him. Before he could advance, the thing's eyes flashed, and a blast struck him in the chest, detonating like a massive bomb. Nearby buildings were reduced to rubble by the explosion of light, smoke rising from the ruins.  
  
He snorted contemptuously, his hide unmarked by the attack. Two could play at that game.  
  
He inhaled deeply, letting the familiar burn flood his chest as immense atomic energies blossomed within. His spines crackled as a fearsome blue glow began to emanate from them, traveling from the tip of his tail to the base of his neck. Wisps of plasma rose from his maw, and a blinding beam blasted forth, striking his enemy in the shoulder and burning through its dark flesh before emerging from the other side. The creature's severed arm fell to the ground, greasy smoke rising from its burnt stump.  
  
A sickly cry of pain filled the air as the monster stumbled back, blood pouring freely from the slowly regenerating hole in its shoulder that used to hold an arm, only to be silenced when Godzilla slammed into it with enough force to send it flying into a nearby hillside. Godzilla charged again, moving faster than something that large should have been able to, and brought a clawed foot down on its left leg, snapping it like a dry twig.  
  
The kaiju king glared down at the creature, eyes burning with hate. The monster flailed about wildly in an attempt to get free, but it proved to an exercise in futility as he increased the weight on its leg. It raised its remaining arm, preparing another attack, and he took hold of it, the fragile bones shattering from the sheer strength of his grip. There was a horrid sound of tearing flesh as he casually tore the limb free of its socket, tossing it aside like garbage, then he turned his attention towards the glittering red core in the creature's chest. Raising a clawed fist, he slammed it into the core, a spiderweb of cracks forming where he struck. Snorting in satisfaction, he struck it again, the blow raining down like a cannon shot, and the cracks widened.  
  
The monster's form shifted, limbs flowing like water as it tried to wrap around him, but he refused to fall into its grip. Pulling it off of him, he threw it back down to the ground, then struck one last time. The core shattered into countless pieces, and the flesh bulged outwards, like a corpse left in water. Before Godzilla could react, it exploded into a spray of blood, painting the countryside red.  
  
He rose from the remains of his enemy, his claws slick with blood that faded to steam, and roared in triumph, howling at the sky. The world had been avenged, however slightly; it would see another tomorrow.  
  
Godzilla glanced over at the small form of a human vehicle, rapidly receding in the distance. Faintly, he could sense something familiar, something that had been at his side before.  
  
He let out a satisfied chuff at that. It seemed he wasn't the only defender to have returned. Briefly, he eyed the VTOLs hovering about him, then began the long trek back to the sea.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _NERV HQ_  
  
"He did it," Tsuburaya breathed.  
  
Honda allowed himself a small smile. "Of course he did. I've seen him walk away from worse fights than this."  
  
"Sir, we're receiving requests for new orders regarding Godzilla," Maya said shakily, her face paler than usual. "Reinforcements from Matushiro and Sendai are approaching his position. Shall we engage?"  
  
"He's returning to the ocean. Send out a 'Do Not Provoke' order," Honda replied. He leaned back into his chair and allowed himself a sigh of relief. "Lord knows how that would turn out."  
  
In the back of the room, Gendo smiled lightly. He watched the titanic form of Godzilla draw nearer to the lifeless seas, his eyes narrowing imperceptibly.  
  
"He won."  
  
"Seems so, Rokobungi. It appears that we will have to wait our turn," Fuyutsuki noted dryly.  
  
Gendo straightened in his seat and adjusted his glasses. "It is of no matter; we will have our time soon enough. The Scenario still proceeds, even taking him into consideration."  
  
The intercom on his desk beeped, halting any further conversation. Allowing himself a small sigh, he activated it.  
  
"Ikari."  
  
"Commander, this is Major Katsuragi reporting in. I've retrieved Sh- er, the Third Child, and am currently bringing him to HQ. He needs immediate medical attention; a piece of concrete hit him in the head during the Third Angel's attack. He's hurt really bad, Commander."  
  
"Understood. I'll have Dr. Akagi meet you at Entrance B-3 with medics on standby." With that, he turned the intercom off and turned to Fuyutsuki. "Contact Dr. Akagi and alert her of the situation."  
  
Fuyutsuki nodded and turned to leave. Suddenly, he paused. "If we do lose the Third Child, what would that entail for the Scenario?"  
  
Gendo fell silent for a few moments.  
  
"Everyone in the Scenario is replaceable," he finally replied. "Including him."

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

"Shit," Misato muttered, shoving the phone in her pocket. "C'mon, c'mon..."  
  
She spared a glance over at the unconscious boy in her seat. She'd wrapped his head in a makeshift bandage, but she could see that it was already staining with blood.  
  
"Just a little longer, kid," she said. "Just hold on a little longer."

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

Shinji found himself in water.  
  
At least, it felt like water. It was cool to the touch and as clear as glass, reaching up to his waist and lapping gently against him. Turning about, he saw that it extended in all directions for as far as the eye can see, and a glance upward revealed a cloudless sky devoid of any sun. It was tranquil, something he found himself appreciating greatly.  
  
He touched a hand to his temple, feeling where the concrete had clipped him. There was no blood, no soreness; it was like the wound had never appeared at all.  
  
"Am I dead?" he asked himself softly.  
  
"Not quite," a strangely familiar voice replied to his right.  
  
Spinning about, Shinji found himself facing... himself. Well, at least it looked like him. The posture was off; it was more upright and seemed to exude confidence. The boy was smiling warmly at him, like some long-lost friend.  
  
"Where am I?" Shinji inquired.  
  
"We are inside your head," the boy replied.  
  
Shinji shuddered slightly at the voice; it was like listening to someone wearing his skin. "W-who are you? Why do you look like me?"  
  
"I am a protector with no name. One who came to Earth a long time ago to protect it. It appears that I am needed again. As I have no form, I decided to take yours in the hopes that it'd make you feel more comfortable."  
  
"It really isn't," Shinji replied, softly.  
  
The boy frowned and furrowed his brow, then relaxed. "Perhaps something more... paternal."  
  
He grew hazy, as though he were surrounded by clouds that contoured to his shape. The haze grew thicker, then disappeared. The boy was taller now, his features more mature.  
  
"Better?" he asked in a deeper voice.  
  
"Yeah, I guess," Shinji replied sheepishly. "You kinda look like the older brother I never had."  
  
"I look like nothing," came the gentle retort. "I have no real form."  
  
"Are... are you an alien or something?"  
  
"Yes," the man replied bluntly.  
  
Shinji gulped, then realized that he didn't actually have a throat to gulp with. "What... what are you doing in my head?"  
  
"I have no physical body. In order to protect the worlds I have visited, I would bond with a native there."  
  
"So you chose me," Shinji said, still trying to digest the realization. Perhaps it was all a dream, and he'd wake any second.  
  
"Not quite. You were the first to find me, actually. However, it appears that bonding would be necessary now. I am not very well versed in your anatomy, but even I could tell that you'll die with that head injury of yours. If we bond, you'll be healed of your wounds. You will be bestowed with great power, Shinji. Together, we can save the world."  
  
"Save the world?" Shinji asked, a slight tremble to his voice.  
  
"Is there something wrong?"  
  
Shinji glanced down at the water, watching his own reflection.  
  
"You need not be afraid to speak your mind."  
  
"I... I don't really think I'm qualified to be a hero." Shinji replied. "I'm nobody. There has to be somebody else, can't there? Why me?"  
  
"Because you found me."  
  
"So, just because of that... because of some random accident... I'm being forced to be something?"  
  
"I am not one to force anything," the man replied, voice soft. "Yes, you did chance upon me, but sometimes we cannot control what destinies are forced upon us. You may fear failure, but I have found that strength can come from the most unexpected of places. It is a truth I have seen on countless worlds."  
  
There was something about how he'd said it. Perhaps it was the raw sincerity Shinji could feel, in this realm of the mind. Whatever it was, he looked up, taking a deep breath.  
  
"All right, I'll do it." he said silently. "I'll bond with you."  
  
"Good," replied the man.  
  
With that, Shinji woke.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 

**_You have been reading:_ **

**_Leviathan, Chapter One: The Return of the King_ **


	2. Chapter Two

_The battle was fierce_

_and bathed the land in great fire._

_The Great Ikusagami_

_and the mighty sea dragon_

_that reigned over all_

_of the great and terrible_

_beasts of the wide world_

_were the last to stand before_

_the Golden Serpent._

_All the others had fallen,_

_but the might of both_

_Ikusagami and the_

_greatest of all the scaled beasts_

_combined their might to slay it,_

_and the land knew peace again._

-A _chōka_ that serves as an account of Ikusagami's battle against _Orochi_ , as chronicled within the Infant Island Fragments discovered by Shinichi Chujo in 1961. Whether or not the "sea dragon" in question is indeed the _kaiju_ known as Godzilla has yet to be ascertained, though other Muuan texts appear to support the claim.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _NERV Medical Wing_  
  
Shinji's eyes opened.  
  
The first impression he had was that of light, almost blinding. He winced, but kept his eyes open, forcing them to acclimate to the brightness. To his surprise, there was no pounding in his head, or even a slight ache.  
  
Numbly, he moved a hand towards his temple, then paused. Slower than before, he gently brushed his fingertips against his temple, where the concrete had hit him. There was some bandaging wrapped around his head, but there was no soreness, or even discomfort. He considered peeling away at the bandage, but ultimately decided against it.  
  
As his vision adjusted, he realized that there was an unfamiliar ceiling over him. Turning his head slightly, he saw a lush green landscape, littered with the occasional building or road. His attention was drawn upwards, and with wide eyes he realized that the sky was actually a massive cavern that simulated the effect. Cables criss-crossed the cavern, and he could see carts moving along them.  
  
Was this a dream? Maybe he was still in the car, bleeding out from the wound on his head. Maybe that whole encounter with the alien was just a hallucination, and nothing more.  
  
And yet...  
  
He sat up in the bed, folding his legs against himself. There was nobody else in the room, and he couldn't hear anybody outside.  
  
_Where am I?_  
  
_I do not know_ , a voice replied.  
  
Shinji sucked in an involuntary breath, and his heartbeat began to quicken.  
  
"It wasn't just a dream," he whispered to himself.  
  
_No, it was not. Had it been a dream, you would be dead now._  
  
Shinji once more touched the side of his head, a sense of awe finally creeping in.  
  
_You healed me._  
  
_Of course I did,_ the voice replied. _I would not have stood by and let a life be extinguished when I could do something about it. Even if it came at great personal cost._  
  
_What do you mean by that?_ Shinji could feel himself growing nervous, dreading the answer.  
  
_I used more energy than I had anticipated when I set about healing you, Shinji. Were I to sever the link between us now, we would perish. For the time being, we must be bonded for our mutual survival._  
  
_So I'm stuck with you._ Shinji closed his eyes. _Maybe I was hoping..._  
  
_I am sorry, Shinji. However, I believe we can make this situation benefit us both._  
  
Before Shinji could ask anything else, the door to the room opened. A blonde-haired woman in a lab coat stepped inside, looking up from a clipboard.  
  
"Good morning, Shinji," she said in a somewhat exhausted tone. "I'm Dr. Akagi, head of Project E. How are you feeling?"  
  
"I'm fine," he replied uneasily, suddenly aware that he was only dressed in a hospital gown. He glanced back at the strange view through the window before continuing. "Where am I?"  
  
"You are at NERV, the organization charged with fighting the Angels."  
  
"Angels?"  
  
"A bit of a misleading moniker, I'm afraid. Think of them as a special type of _kaiju_. The creature that you encountered was an Angel." She looked back at the clipboard, and a small frown formed on her face. "You gave us quite a scare with that head injury of yours."  
  
"Sorry," Shinji mumbled reflexively.  
  
_You apologize, yet you made no offense_ , the voice asked. _Why?_  
  
_Sorry_ , Shinji replied, then caught himself. _It's... a habit I learned._  
  
_An unfortunate one, in my opinion_.  
  
Dr. Akagi cleared her throat, breaking the hidden reverie. "Are you all right, Shinji?"  
  
"I'm fine," Shinji replied hurriedly. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed, after what just happened."  
  
The blonde-haired woman sighed. "I suppose it's only natural. It's not every day you have a close call like that. Speaking of..."  
  
She stepped forward and gently lifted the gauze wrapped about his head. "We ran a CT scan while you were unconscious in order to determine whether or not you had any brain damage. Thankfully, it appeared that the wound was only superficial."  
  
She removed the gauze and eyed his temple with a steely gaze, her brow furrowing ever-so-slightly. "And now it's nonexistent. We did give you a regen-induc spray, but I must say that's faster than expected. Any lingering pains?"  
  
Shinji squirmed under the doctor's stare. "Not that I know of."  
  
"Hmph." Dr. Akagi murmured, frowning. She straightened, sparing the clipboard another glance, and headed back to the door. "Your clothes have been prepared in a bin by the bed. Once you've changed, please meet with Misato and I outside."  
  
Shinji waited until the door shut behind the doctor before turning his attention to the bin. He rose to his feet, taking a tentative step forward, then walked towards it and pulled out his clothes. Just as he prepared to remove his hospital gown, however, he paused.  
  
_What is it?_ the voice inquired.  
  
_Are you able to see through my eyes and stuff?_  
  
_Of course; I am linked into your nervous system._ There was a brief pause before it continued, as though it were recalling something. _Ah, now I remember. Your species has a nudity taboo. It is not that uncommon, I've encountered similar problems with my earlier hosts._  
  
_Did you solve that problem?_  
  
_Yes. Please wait while I cut myself off from your optic nerves._ A few seconds passed in awkward silence. _Done._  
  
_Thank you,_ Shinji replied, quickly removing the gown and throwing back on his clothes. _You can look now._  
  
_It has indeed been a long time since I last visited_ , the voice commented. _Everything is... different_.  
  
_You've been here before?_ Shinji inquired as he walked towards the door.  
  
_Not in a great while. I believe it has been... oh, say a few thousand years. I never had much opportunity to measure your planet's revolution cycle, so I might be off._  
  
Shinji opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Misato and Dr. Akagi were waiting for him, and with a pang of guilt he saw that the former had a very haggard look.  
  
"Hello," he said sheepishly.  
  
"Glad to see you're all right," Misato said, managing a small smile. She straightened, her face becoming more professional. "Do you know why you've been summoned?"  
  
He shook his head. "Nobody told me."  
  
The faintest signs of a smirk formed in the corner of Misato's mouth, something that did little to assuage his fears. "Well, I guess you're in for a bit of a surprise."

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

  
_The ocean was dark, its freezing depths crushing in on her from all sides, and yet she was safe and sound in a warm bed. She could feel her powerful body glide through the waves, and yet it was not her body. The presence she could sense was proof enough of that. It was old and strong, opening her mind to ages she could not begin to fathom, and it was what truly controlled the eyes she saw through. For her entire life he had remained dormant, barely stirring, but now he was fully awake.  
  
And he was searching..._  
  
"Rei."  
  
The presence faded, becoming a small but persistent sensation in the back of her head. Opening her eyes, Rei Ayanami rose to find the commander standing at the foot of her hospital bed. She stared blankly at him, one of her eyes hidden under a gauze pad.  
  
"Yes, Commander?" she inquired in a soft and stilted tone.  
  
"What is your status?"  
  
She rose to a sitting position. "My body has completely regenerated the damage it sustained during the Unit-00 incident yesterday."  
  
The commander made a barely discerned nod of satisfaction. "Good. Continue wearing the bandages for a few more days; we cannot afford any more suspicion at the moment."  
  
"Yes, Commander."  
  
"Dr. Akagi will give you another dose of the gene serum tomorrow." He leaned in closer, the reflections of his glasses obscuring his eyes.  
  
"The secondary part of your purpose has come," he said, his voice lower. "You will be our oracle, who sees the coming of the Leviathan. We must be aware of his position at any given moment. Be sure to not reveal yourself to him."  
  
Rei nodded. "I will not fail you, Commander."  
  
"It is your actions, not your words, that will convince me." The commander turned briskly from the bed and walked out of the room, pausing at the doorway. "The Third Child has arrived."  
  
"I had reason to believe so already; I sensed someone new."  
  
"You will meet him soon," the commander replied. "You may find his scent off-putting. Do not let that hinder your interactions with him."  
  
The commander left the room, shutting the door behind him. Rei stared at the door for a few moments, then laid back down on the bed and closed her eyes. She let the presence dominate her mind again, taking care to hide her own mind to the extent of her abilities. The Leviathan was strong, stronger than her, and she knew that the consequences could be... unpleasant, should he sense her.  
  
_The ocean grew darker still as she dove deeper into the abyss. The currents were strong, and she could faintly discern the bottom of the ocean floor..._

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _The Eva Cages_  
  
Shinji sat in the entry plug, trying to keep calm as he lowered into the innards of Unit-01. The interior was dark and smelled faintly of blood; he felt as though he was within the cavernous belly of some horrific beast. Anxiously, he tugged at the skintight material of the plugsuit.  
  
"Does it have to be this uncomfortable?" he asked over the commset.  
  
Light flooded the chamber as a viewscreen appeared on the interior of the plug, revealing the rather bored face of Dr. Akagi.  
  
"It has to be," she replied, not even bothering to look up from her clipboard. "Normal clothing can interfere with the nervous feedback you get from the Evangelion and hinder piloting. We had originally considered sending in the pilots nude with some equipment stuck to their skin, so be glad you get the suit."  
  
_You want me to be glad when I'm inside this?!_ he thought to himself, trying to keep his heart from racing.  
  
It had been unsettling enough to see the Evangelion, a monstrous thing resting waist-deep in something that looked like blood, but to learn that he was to pilot it... He closed his eyes again, hoping that it was just a surreal nightmare, and that he'd be away from it all when they opened.  
  
That was when the plug began to flood with a viscous red fluid that reeked of blood, rapidly rising up to his position and submerging him before he even had time to scream. He thrashed in his seat, desperately trying to hold his breath.  
  
"Calm down, Shinji!" Dr. Akagi barked across the viewscreen. "That's LCL. It's a hyper-oxygenated fluid; you can breathe it."  
  
He didn't acknowledge her words; he was far too busy panicking, eyes wide. His lungs were burning now, and he wondered how much longer he could hold his breath.  
  
_Calm, Shinji,_ the voice assured, like a gentle blanket over the mind. _Take a deep breath, and know that not everything is as bad as it seems at first glance._  
  
That finally did it. Shinji emptied his lungs of air and breathed in, gagging as the blood-like fluid entered his airways. He took a few more breaths, then began to feel more at ease, if only slightly.  
  
"I feel sick," he mumbled to himself.  
  
"That's perfectly normal," Dr. Akagi replied. "Now, try and clear your mind. We're going to begin synchronization shortly."  
  
Shinji did as told, trying his best to relax as he leaned back into the control chair. He became faintly aware of motors whirring on the outside of the plug, echoing ominously throughout the cavernous interior, and then...  
  
Nothing.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

Back in the control room, Ritsuko frowned.  
  
"Odd," she muttered to herself. "The equipment must be malfunctioning."  
  
"It isn't, sempai," Maya replied. "We just did a check this morning."  
  
"What's wrong, Rits?" Misato inquired, peering over her friend's shoulder and attempting to make sense of the indecipherable scrawl of data coming in.  
  
"It's likely a systems malfunction. According to Unit-01's telemetry, Shinji's sync rate is... all over the place."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" A slight frown formed on Misato's face. "That doesn't make any sense, right?"  
  
"It doesn't," Ritsuko said. "He's going from zero, to fifty, to back again, and then to seventy."  
  
After a moment's thought, she activated the comms. "Shinji, I want you to touch each finger of your right hand to your thumb. Can you do that?"  
  
They watched the hand of Unit-01, waiting. One of the fingers twitched, like it was having a spasm but nothing happened.  
  
"Even a Mysterian or Xilien would be able to produce a small sync rate," Ritsuko muttered. "Hell, a Simeon managed to get the sync up to 3%."  
  
She fumbled for a cigarette, but decided against it and instead opted to run a hand through her hair. "We'll run a few more synchronization attempts with Unit-01, then switch to the secondary plug and run a few more tests. The commander wants us to have at least one available pilot by the end of the week due to Godzilla's reappearance."  
  
"It's kinda hard to believe that he's back," Misato said, absentmindedly playing with the cross about her neck. "Everybody was so sure he was killed in Second Impact."  
  
"You must've been talking with the wrong people," Ritsuko retorted. "I minored in Kaijuology before dedicating myself to Applied Metaphysics. He's a marvel in biology; a creature that size should collapse under its own weight, not shrug off atomic weaponry and lob similarly-sized objects over the horizon."  
  
She sighed before continuing. "His appearance complicates things. The Evas were designed specifically to fight the Angels; I'm not sure how they'd fare against _kaiju_."  
  
"I don't think we'll have to worry about Godzilla, at the very least. I mean, he never really attacked people. Hell, he saved the world a few times."  
  
"What about Letchi Island? Or the fact he always pulverized half a city in his old fights with other _kaiju_? Even if he harbors no particular grudge against us, he's still a wild animal. All those times he came to fight off kaiju or invaders? Just bestial instinct, nothing more."  
  
Misato's gaze fell to the cross in her hand. "I'm... not so sure about that."  
  
Ritsuko arched an eyebrow. "We're not doing this argument again, are we?"  
  
"Well... during the Third Angel's attack, one of the VTOLs was coming down on me and Shinji. It would've crushed us, but he caught it at the last second. It wasn't by accident, either; he went out of his way to save us."  
  
Ritsuko rubbed her face wearily. "Misato, I don't want to get in another argument about kaiju morality and intelligence; I had enough of those with you. I'll shut up about Godzilla if you will."  
  
Misato sighed. "Fine."  
  
"That's good to hear." Ritsuko turned back to the titanic form of Unit-01, her brow furrowed in consternation. "You don't have to stay for the tests; they'll probably run till late in the afternoon."  
  
"Yeah, but part of me wants to stay and make sure Shinji's okay after all of these tests. I guess I'll see him later, after I finish up with all of the paperwork dumped on my desk." Misato stretched, prompting a wide-eyed glance from Hyuuga, then headed for the doorway.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _Commander Ikari's Office_  
  
"The Third is incapable of synching?"  
  
Fuyutsuki nodded curtly as he put down his _go_ piece. "According to Dr. Akagi, anyway. She believes that it's simply malfunctioning equipment. Either way, it's troublesome."  
  
"Indeed," Gendo said, putting down his own piece. "Have they run other tests on him and Unit-01?"  
  
"They've run through every test we have available." He paused briefly, considering his next move. "It can't be a malfunction in the equipment. The likelihood of that many sensors failing at once..."  
  
"Is infinitesimal. That leaves another conclusion." Gendo's eyes scanned the board impassively, hidden underneath orange lenses. For the hundredth time that day, Fuyutsuki wondered why he wore them indoors. "We shall move on with the other candidates."  
  
"The next best available pilot is the Second Child, and she's half-way around the world with Unit-02," Fuyutsuki said. "Should we be so quick to dismiss him? It's possible that she might not be able to synch with Unit-01."  
  
"She has shown herself to be an exceptional pilot," Gendo retorted. "Candidates can synch with any Eva, though the ratios might vary considerably. She'll prove far easier to work with than the Third, if what Dr. Akagi says is true. Have her make the request once she finishes procuring the samples."  
  
"Understood, commander," Fuyutsuki said. He paused, then, "Of course, it seems that the Third Child's... issue is the least of our worries, Rokobungi. The Angels we can handle, but what are we going to do about _him_? Don't give me that vague cypher we use around the old men; I have enough of a headache as it is."  
  
"The less the old men know about our plans regarding the Leviathan, the better," Gendo replied icily. "However, know that at the least, we need not worry from him. He's as unkillable as the legends say, but that shall work in our favor."  
  
"How so?" Fuyutsuki inquired, furrowing his brow in confusion.  
  
"The Scrolls are not perfect, much like what people spout about the public documents. They are merely guidelines; it would be suicidally foolish to take them literally. It's possible, perhaps even probable, that the Angels will prove too much for the Evas. The Arm of God has me most concerned in that regard. But, as demonstrated today, the Leviathan can kill the Angels on his own."  
  
"So, if we fail to slay the Angels, we will be able to fall back on him," Fuyutsuki completed. "You want to have the most powerful creature on Earth as a pawn in your plan."  
  
He shook his head lightly, then put down another piece. "What we will do once the Angels are gone, then? Countless others have tried to kill him, and they always met with failure. What will make us different?"  
  
"It is mentioned in the old legends that God will put a ring through the Leviathan's nose and make him subservient. If all goes according to the Scenario, legend may prove to be fact." He put down one last piece into place, then rose with a slight smirk. "I win again. Your game has gotten sloppy."  
  
"I've gotten old," Fuyutsuki replied, rising as well. "Now, there's one last issue at hand. Major Katsuragi is concerned about where the Third Child is going to live, now that he's been dismissed as a pilot for the time being."  
  
"Have him live with her, then. It might prove fortuitous to have him close at hand, at least for now."  
  
Fuyutsuki nodded. "Very well, then."

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _Elsewhere in NERV HQ_  
  
Shinji stepped out of the locker room, feet dragging across the linoleum floor. Dr. Akagi had continued the tests for a few hours before finally conceding defeat and dismissing him. He adjusted his backpack, noting how it was a few pounds heavier. The scientist had let him keep the plugsuit as a "souvenir", though it didn't really feel like that to him.  
  
He let out a small yawn, running a hand through his hair, still slick from the long shower. It'd taken half an hour to get the LCL out, and it still smelled faintly of blood. He had a feeling it was going to be a while before the scent faded away.  
  
_What was all of that about?_ he wondered to himself. _Dr. Akagi was acting like it wasn't normal._  
  
_Perhaps I may be at fault for that,_ the voice said.  
  
Shinji blinked. _How?_  
  
_Whatever an Evangelion is... it seems that the mind of the pilot is important, yes?_  
  
_I don't know._  
  
_Then perhaps my presence in your mind provided... interference, so to say._  
  
_Makes as much as anything I've heard._ Shinji rubbed his eyes tiredly. _It's all so... strange. I feel like I'm dreaming, and I'm going to wake up any moment._  
  
"Tough day, huh?" a voice asked to his side with a yawn.  
  
Shinji turned to see Misato standing in the hallway. The purple-haired woman was equally exhausted-looking, though she seemed to be carrying it with a bit more of a professional air.  
  
"I've discussed your living situation with the comman- er, your father," she said.  
  
"Am I going back to live with my uncle?" Shinji asked, softly.  
  
"Nope," she replied, cracking a grin. "We're going to be roomies!"  
  
A few moments passed as Shinji's sleep-deprived brain processed the information.  
  
"Wait, what?"  
  
_Roomies?_ the voice inquired.  
  
"I've been made your new legal guardian," Misato explained. "We'll be living together for a bit, until we figure out what's wrong with Unit-01. And maybe for a bit longer. Who knows?"  
  
She leaned forward, accidentally giving Shinji a good view of her cleavage. "Don't worry; I'll wait a few days before making my move on you."  
  
"I-I," Shinji stammered, painfully aware of how red his cheeks were.  
  
Misato straightened, giggling. "Oh, you're so easy to tease. Something tells me we're going to get along _very_ well."  
  
She turned, gesturing for him to follow. "Car's this way. I'll drive you to your new home."  
  
Shinji watched her go for a few moments, dumbfounded.  
  
_She seems... unique,_ the voice commented.  
  
_I think that's the best way of putting it,_ Shinji thought.

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _A few miles from Tokyo-3_  
  
_This is certainly less a mess than what I was expecting,_ Ritsuko thought, studying the damage before her.  
  
Compared to some of the battles she'd seen in old history books, the destruction was fairly mild: a few crushed buildings, a scorched piece of hillside where Godzilla's atomic ray had struck, and bus-sized footprints in the streets. Honestly, there were industrial accidents more destructive than this.  
  
Her musings where interrupted when Maya ran up to her, which was no easy task in the heavy NBC suit she was wearing.  
  
"Dr. Akagi, we've found the sample you requested," she said, panting. "We're estimating about a hundred liters total."  
  
"Thank you, Maya," Ritsuko said.  
  
She made sure the helmet to her NBC suit was sealed, then followed her apprentice into the metaphorical thick of it. Already, her suit's geiger counter was beginning to tick, though only a little more than usual.  
  
Sure enough, there was a massive blood splatter over one of the walls of a nearby building, with some having dripped to the street. It'd long since dried into an ugly brown color, but that didn't mean she couldn't get a useful sample.  
  
Reaching into her supply crate, she pulled out a long apparatus with a pincer at the end, and placed it over a thick glass phial. With a squeeze of the trigger, she picked up the phial, then stepped towards a congealed blob of blood.  
  
"Maya, if you will."  
  
"Understood, sempai." The girl picked up a long pole with a scalpel attached. "Awaiting orders."  
  
"Go ahead," Ritsuko said.  
  
Maya nodded, and placed the scalpel over the blob, visibly straining to keep it still as Ritsuko moved into place. It was much how volcanologists took samples from lava fields. Of course, it wasn't _heat_ they had to worry about, here.  
  
"Make the incision now, Maya."  
  
The girl did as told, slicing open the thick 'skin' of the congealed blood. Ritsuko dipped the phial in, then pulled it out. Sure enough, the bright red blood of a king was still inside, having been preserved. With another squeeze of the trigger, the lid was popped on, and Ritsuko carefully placed the phial in a tray.  
  
"To think that's his blood," Maya murmured, a look of awe visible on her face.  
  
"We'll take a few more samples, then head back to base," Ritsuko said. "Be careful; this is a Level 2 biohazard. There's enough sieverts in here to cause mild radiation poisoning."  
  
"Understood, sempai."  
  
Once they were finished, Ritsuko placed the tray in a chilled lead-lined container, then loaded that into the VTOL. Theoretically speaking, there was enough blood to last for three months, barring any incidents.  
  
_Then again_ , she thought to herself, _there's always incidents whenever Godzilla's involved. Even if it's just his blood._

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _Misato's Apartment_  
  
_This... is a little mess?_ Shinji thought as he gazed upon the veritable wasteland of discarded clothes and beer cans.  
  
_I remember visiting a world, hundreds of years ago,_ the voice mused. _The predominant culture there believed that a cluttered home was the mark of an active member of society. I believe she would have fit in with them very well._  
  
Shinji heard the shower running. Sighing, he decided to poke around the apartment a little. The fridge was full of snacks and beer, he found, and almost every inch of the kitchen was a nightmare.  
  
He rubbed his eyes. _I'm way too tired for this._  
  
Misato had already pointed out where his room was, and he trudged his way over, yawning. Sliding open the door, he stepped inside and plopped down on the sleeping mat, closing his eyes.  
  
_You seem... distressed,_ the voice commented. _Are you upset?_  
  
_It's just a lot to take in,_ Shinji replied, rolling over. _I think it'll be better in the morning._  
  
_If I may ask, you said that you lived with your aunt and uncle. I thought your people lived with their parents while growing up?_  
  
_They do, normally,_ Shinji replied. _But I guess my father has more important things to handle. I haven't seen him in three years. I... I was hoping to see him here, today._  
  
He sighed. _My father only wanted one thing from me, and I couldn't even do that._  
  
_Then the fault lies with him,_ the voice said, matter-of-factly. _A juvenile should not try to answer for the wrongdoing of the parent._  
  
_It's a bit more complicated than that._  
  
_Is it?_  
  
Shinji fell silent for a few moments. He rolled over again, finding a comfortable spot, and felt overtaking him.  
  
_Maybe,_ he thought. _Goodnight_.  
  
_Goodnight, Shinji._

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

 _Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Archipelago_  
  
Godzilla's head rose above the waves, his gaze focusing on the island in the distance. For countless years he had made it a second home of sorts, sharing it with the rest of his "family". The humans had found it as well, making themselves at home in a distant part of it and using it to contain creatures they couldn't otherwise handle. They hadn't bothered him, and in turn he left them to their own devices.  
  
That was then, before whatever had broken the world. Now, the island was a shadow of its former self. The largest trees had been swept away by great waves, and the new ones taking their place were but mere saplings in comparison. He could see large shapes brushing through the undergrowth here and there, and faint cries reached his ears. Though Man had left the island, other creatures had stayed put.  
  
He drew nearer to the sandy shores, then emerged from the dark waters, shaking thousands of tons of water off his massive frame as he stepped onto land. The sun had long set, but the Moon was full, casting a faint silverly glow on the island. It was appreciated, but unnecessary; his vision was far beyond that of any other animal. Stepping further into the nascent jungle, he inhaled deeply, then roared.  
  
At once, everything around him scattered, startled by his cry. It was not intended to do so. Indeed, it was not intended to intimidate at all.  
  
It was a _beckoning_.  
  
An hour of silence passed, then he became aware of something large trudging through the jungle, casually brushing trees out of its path. A howl, almost like the blaring of a horn, rolled across the island in response to his call. His muscles tightened reflexively at the sound, then relaxed as he realized who had made it.  
  
Anguirus came into view, a half-chewed tree wedged between his large fangs. The spiky kaiju called again to Godzilla, then dashed forward, catching him in a friendly tackle. Godzilla growled contentedly at the sight of his old friend, patting his head with rarely-seen affection.  
  
Another call, more like the cackling of some large bird, drew both of their attentions upward. A titanic shadow blotted out the Moon, then descended to the ground with earth-shaking force. A massive cloud of dust obscured it, only to be dismissed with a flap of gigantic wings. Rodan stepped forward, clicking his beak inquisitively. A faint scar ran across his chest, but it appeared that he, too was otherwise unscathed.  
  
Godzilla rose to his feet, a greeting call rumbling out. Rodan replied with a call of his own, then craned his head upwards, as if he was expecting something. Godzilla and Anguirus did likewise, their eyes focused on the sky, waiting for the last member of their family to return. Hours passed, but yet they waited. Time was of little matter to them.  
  
Finally, a faint orange glow fluttered across the sky, and Mothra descended to the ground. The great moth chirped in relief, her turquoise eyes shining softly in the dark.  
  
Godzilla rumbled in satisfaction; his family was once more complete. Turning back to the shore, he stomped down towards the water, stopping only when the waves lapped gently against his clawed feet. His eyes scanned the horizon grimly, taking in the devastation wreaked on the world in his absence. Fury blossomed in his chest once more, and he howled into the distance, a warning to all those who opposed him.  
  
The Age of Monsters had begun once more.  


 

* * *

==/*\==

* * *

_**You have been reading**_ :

 

 

**_Leviathan, Chapter Two: The New World_ **

 


End file.
